Fire-escape ladder.



R. SGHAP'LE'R.

'PATENTED MAR. s1, 190s.

PIRE BSGAPE LADDER. l APPLICATION FILED DEO. 11, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED Squires4 PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARDSCHAPLER, OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY.

FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'723,925,.dated. March 31, 1903.

Application filed December 11, 1901. Serial No. 85,502- (No modell) I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD SCHAPLER, a subject of the vEmperor of Germany, and a resident of Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented -certain new and useful Improvements in- Fire- Escape Ladders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specication.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of tire-escape ladders such as shown and described in my United States Letters Patent No. 610,692, issued September 13, 1898, having self-contained means whereby the ladder may be extended to the desired elevation through the agency of compressed gas or fluid; and the invention has for its primary obj ect to provide improved and simple means for relieving the shock or concussion heretofore resulting from the sudden stopping of the relatively movableV members when-they reach the limit of their maximum movement.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty inthe construction, combination, and arrangement 'of parts by which the said objects Aand certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings,l3`igure I is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of two of the telescope-sections of an extensible fire-escape ladder provided with my improvements, the section being taken on the line 1 1,'Fig. 2. Fig.

2 is a similar section taken on the line 2 2,A

Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 1,showing the inner section or member elevatedto the limit of its stroke.

1 2 represent telescoped pipe-sections provided with ladder-sections 3 4, respectively, connected thereto in-any suitable way, as described and shown in my aforesaid patent, to which reference maybe had for an understanding of the parts ot' this apparatus shown in said patent, my present invention concerning itself more especially With means for deadening the shock or concussion of the telescopic sections when they arrive at the limit of their upward movement. In the accompanying drawings I have shown but two of these sections but it will nevertheless be understood that their number may be multiplied as desired. The outer section 2 is considerably larger ingdiameter than the inner section 1, and its "upper end is contracted around the latter section, as shown at 5, to form a close t and prevent the escape of the air under pressure utilized for raising the inner section, and the Vinner section'is of course closed at its upper end or at some other point to prevent the escape of the air or pressure luid through it, thus constituting of the inner section a piston or plunger. The lower end of the inner section is provided with a cushioning device adapted to abut against a ring or flange 6, securedvwithin the outer` section at a slight distance -from the upper extremity thereof, andthis cushioning device comprises a plurality of elastic rings 7', composed of india-rubber or other suitable material and arranged one upon theother Within the pipesection l, each ring, if desired, being provided in its underV side with anannular airchamber 8, which adds to the elasticity. These rings are so placed one upon the other that when all are compressed the air-chamber of each upper ring will be closed by the upper surface of the ring immediately below it, and the air-chamber of the bottom ring will be closed by a cap 9, secured to the lower end of inner vpipe-section 1 in any suitable way, as by means-'pcf` arthreaded flange 10, screwed on the end of the pipe. This cap A9 also constitutes a support for the ring and for receiving the impact thereof when the inner pipe-section reaches-'the limit of its np- Ward stroke.'4 f c Threaded or otherwisesecured in the center of the cap 9 'is a stem11,jwhich is preferably hollow and which passes upwardly through all of the rings, and sleeved on the upper end of this stem is a Washer 12, which ts accurately within pipe-section 1 and rests upon the top ring, and this washer is the means by which the impact .is imparted directly to the upper ring, and it receives-al1 impact from a cross-bar 13, which extends across the washer and projects through vertically-elongated slots 14 in the pipe-section 1 and alsothrough side slots 15 in the hollow stem 11, the outer extremities of the crossbar 13 being arranged in line with the iiange G, so as to strike thereagainst When the in ner pipe-section is elevated, and thus cause the shock to be absorbed by the elastic rings.

While I have described my invention with reference to a ladder, it will nevertheless be understood that it is equally applicable to other uses, such as for elevating Water-towers,-

j to receive the impact of the inner section and a rigid member supported by said cushion device and adapted to engage said abutment, substantially as set forth.

2. In afire-escape ladder, the combination of a plurality of telescoped sections, an elastic medium carried on the inner end of the inner section, a cross-bar resting upon said elastic medium and projecting from the side of saidinner section, and an abutment in the outer section for receiving the impact of said cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fire-escape ladder, the combination of a plurality of telescopic sections, an elastic medium supported Within the inner section, a cross-bar projecting through said inner section and supported upon said elastic medium, and an abutment in said outer section for receiving the impact of said cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

4.. In a {ire-escape ladder, the combination of a plurality of telescopic sections, the inner one of which is provided with, longitudinal side slots, an elastic medium arranged within said inner section and supported thereby, a cross-bar resting upon said elastic medium and projecting` through said side slots, and an abutment within the outer section adapted to receive the impact of said cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

5. In a iire-escape ladder, the combination of a plurality of telescopic sections, a plurality of elastic members arranged Within the inner one of said sections and having air chambers or grooves in their faces, each closed by contact with the contiguous elastic member, and means for imparting the impact of said inner section to the outer section throughintermediary of said elastic members, substantially as set forth.

6. In a fire-escape ladder, the combination of a plurality of telescopic sections, a plurality of elastic rings arranged Within the inner section and having grooves in their faces closed by contact with one another, a Washer resting upon said rings, a cross-bar. projecting through said inner section and resting upon said Washer,and an abutment Within the outer section for receiving the impact of said eross bar, substantially as set forth.

7. In a tire-escape ladder, the combination of a plurality of telescopic sections, the inner one of which is provided With side slots, anl

elastic medium arranged within the innersection, a cap secured on the end of the inner section :for supporting said medium, a Washer resting upon said medium, a cross-bar resting on said Washer and protruding vthrough said side slots, and an abutment in said other section for receiving the impact of said cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

8. In a fire-escape ladder, the combination of a plurality of telescopic sections, the inner one of which is provided with side slots, a plurality of elastic grooved rings arranged Within said inner section, a cap secured on the end of said inner section and supporting said rings, a stem secured to said cap and projecting through said rings and having side slots arranged in line with the aforesaid side slots, a Washer resting upon said rings around said ste m,a cross-bar resting upon said Washer and passing through the side slots in said inner section and stem, and an abutment in said outer section for receiving the impact of said crossebar, substantially as set forth.

RICHARD SCIIAPLER.

Vitnesses:

CONRAD BECKER, RICHARD ScnArLnn. 

